The Ransomes: Matt, Nick and Katherine. Sara Orwig

do want more,” he observed and moved closer. “This is one thing we have between us that isn’t in the contract.”

Seven

      He slipped his arm around her waist and drew her up against him. The moment she touched the length of his warm, hard body and legs, her stomach did flip-flops. When her hands went to his shoulders, desire exploded in her.

      Sliding her arm around his neck, she looked at his lips and then glanced up to see him looking at her mouth with hungry longing. When he bent his head and covered her mouth with his, her heart pounded. Time and thought stopped. She lost all sense of where she was or what she had been doing. She was in his arms and he was kissing her senseless and she was coming apart at the seams over his kisses.

      His arm tightened and his arousal was hard against her belly. Desire shook her. His free hand moved over her shoulders and throat and then slid down her front. While he continued to kiss her into oblivion, he held her away a fraction. His hand unfastened the halter top she wore and peeled it down, baring her breasts.

      “Matt!” she exclaimed, ready to protest, remembering that she was going to show some restraint with this Ransome, but his fingers stroked her nipple and her protests melted. Warm and wet, his hand cupped her breast while his thumb circled her nipple slowly, making her moan softly and thrust her hips against him and want him with a need that shocked her. She twisted slightly to give herself access to him, sliding her fingers over his thick rod.

      He growled deep in his throat as he kissed her. Then he leaned down to take her nipple in his mouth, teasing with his tongue, stroking and circling her taut bud.

      “Matt!” she gasped again, unable to tell him to stop, knowing she was already breaking her promises to herself. How would she resist him twelve more days when she was letting him do what he wanted now? Did she want to wait until after they were married?

      Desire surged, and she trembled as she kissed him and responded to his hands playing over her, first on her bare breasts and then sliding down over her belly. His hand slipped into the bottom half of her swimsuit and he found her soft folds, stroking her so lightly, yet setting off more blazing fireworks.

      “You’re so damn responsive to me,” he whispered.

      She tangled her legs with his and ran her hands over him, feeling his muscled body and firm bottom.

      In minutes she knew there would be no stopping for either one of them. She pushed lightly against his chest and twisted away. He caught her arm to hold her.

      “Matt, don’t go so fast. I’ll be in your bed soon enough.”

      Desire blazed in his eyes. An intense yearning that made her heart pound as violently as his passionate kisses had. He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up out of the water and she placed her hands on his shoulders.

      His gaze drifted over her bare breasts, slipping lower. “You’re beautiful!” he gasped and her heart jumped.

      How could she possibly keep from falling head over heels in love with him? He was devilishly handsome, rugged, sexy. He could be charming and she had the feeling that he really hadn’t turned his charm and lovemaking on full force as far as she was concerned.

      She didn’t doubt that he meant what he said about keeping his heart locked away. Could she really scale the walls of that fortress?

      She looked into his blue eyes and all she could see was desire so blatant it made her nipples tingle again. The heat low in her body intensified.

      With his gaze locked with hers, he lowered her slowly, holding her closer and letting her slick, wet body slide against his. His hard shaft slipped between her legs and she gasped with desire that swept her with the force of a tidal wave. Closing her eyes and clinging to him, she knew she had to stop him right now and she needed to get out of his arms and get some distance between them.

      She wasn’t going to fall into his arms and into his bed and succumb to his seduction on the third night she had known him.

      With an effort, as he leaned forward and his lips brushed hers, she splashed away from him and scrambled to pull her suit back into place. She looked over at him and saw him treading water while he watched her with a faint smile.

      “Scared of me? Or scared about your own reactions?” He waved his hand. “Come on back. I can show restraint.”

      “Sure you can,” she teased lightly. “Catch me,” she said and turned to swim away as swiftly as possible.

      He caught her easily and hauled her into his arms, laughing with her, but as their legs tangled and he held her close, their laughter vanished, replaced swiftly by need.

      With pounding pulse, Olivia wriggled away. “Not yet, Matt,” she said, wondering how long she could wait.

      He swam past her and climbed out, grabbing up a towel and tying it around his middle. He shook water away from his face as he slicked back his hair. “I’ll get out the steaks and pour glasses of iced tea.”

      Getting out of the pool, she watched him cross the patio and her mouth went dry as her gaze drifted over his broad, powerful shoulders and muscled back that tapered to his tiny waist and tight bottom. Abruptly, he halted and glanced at her, catching her staring at his body. He turned around to stroll back to her and each step closer he came to her, the more loudly her pulse pounded until she was certain he could hear it.

      He placed his hand under her chin. “Go ahead and look. What you see will be yours to play with whenever you want,” he said in a velvety voice. He stroked her cheek and let his fingers lightly slip lower, caressing her throat and pushing open the cover-up to fondle her breasts. “And what I see will be mine to play with and make love to, I hope.”

      “I believe that was part of our bargain,” she whispered, unable to get any firmness in her voice. Was she already falling in love with him even before her wedding?

      How disastrous would this bargain be to her heart? A bargain with a demon of her own creation. She could have taken the money, lived with him and waited to see if they fell in love instead of this headlong rush into marriage to get a commitment for her baby.

      It was done now and she wasn’t backing out, but she should take care and guard her heart more than she had so far. Two days ago she wouldn’t have dreamed she would be at risk of heartbreak.

      He looked over at her. “Penny for your thoughts.”

      “I was just mulling over what odd turns life takes and a week ago this time, my life and prospects for the future were entirely different.”

      “Regrets?”

      “Absolutely not. Never! I couldn’t possibly regret the changes. What about you? This morning you were filled with anger.”

      “We’ll see what the future brings. Let’s sit down and go over some more stipulations.”

      Amused, she smiled. “You’re trying to think of everything. That’s impossible.”

      “Maybe, but I want some requests. I’m in no hurry, but I want a DNA test to determine that there is no question that my brother was the father.”

      “That’s fine,” she said. “He was, so test away.” She sat at a wrought-iron table on a cushioned iron chair, crossed her legs, catching Matt staring at her bare legs.

      He pulled on a T-shirt over his swim trunks and then dropped the towel. The T-shirt hid his swimsuit and it was easy to imagine him without it and she hoped he had no inkling that she was doing so.

      “Do I get a say in the baby’s name?” he asked, pulling his chair close and stroking her knee, starting more fiery tingles.

      She thought about that one. “I think we should both approve the selected name,” she said breathlessly, only half aware of what she was replying to him.

      He